“Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart.” —Rumi

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System Of A Down sang about “revolution, the only solution.” Maybe, a revolution of the heart is what we need? –SB

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“We need to forget what we think we are, so that we can really become what we are”. —Paulo Coelho

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The philosopher Pindar was the first to say “learn, and become what you are.” [Paul Tournier, in chapter four of his book, The Meaning of Persons, expands on the thought beautifully.] “The point is to cease wearing masks and to celebrate who we are without the disingenuousness of disguise.” [ see my previous blog: Becoming What You Are]–SB

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Facebook friend: “I believe in one thing only, the power of human will.” –Joseph Stalin

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Me: Respectfully, Stalin was a mass murderer, which would be my objection. Nietzsche spoke famously of a twist to those same words, “the will to power.” Nietzsche wrote: “My idea is that every specific body strives to become master over all …space and to extend its force (its will to power) and to thrust back all that resists its extension. But it continually encounters similar efforts on the part of other bodies and ends by coming to an arrangement (“union”) with those of them that are sufficiently related to it: thus they then conspire together for power.”

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On the surface, they appear the same, but one’s ultimate intent with the power they will, or wield, is the difference–mass murder or not. I would offer the example of the Stalin’s and Mao’s [and Che Guevara’s] who have willed power through massive and indiscriminate murder. Obama and Romney will power to control their own partisan agendas, whether those of the left or right. They have no intention of going so far as to murder people though. Ron Paul wills personal power to each individual with the government serving to protect the individuals’ powers.

Facebook friend: Your #1 premise is wrong. Obama gone implies that you want the same black-hearted bastards that have run this country into the ground for 8 of the last 11 Presidential terms. If you like the rich getting richer off of the rest of us go ahead fulfill your tragic destiny. The rest of us would like things to improve! That sure doesn’t mean Ron Paul either.

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Me: You’re dead on right about Romney. He flip flops according to which way his campaign “weathermen” say which way the wind blows. Even with his support of Romneycare versus his non-support of Obamacare. Romney fights for power with the capitalist elite and military industrial complex. Obama just wants to play golf, take vacations on the taxpayer’s dime and hold lavish celebrity parties, fighting for power with the government so that more taxpayer money flows in to fund his and his cronies’ elitist agendas.

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Ron Paul, in his thirty years of public service, has never wavered on his intentions if president (read his [two] recent books, Revolution: A Manifesto and Liberty Defined). He wants power with the people (“Power To The People, Right On”–John Lennon). Paul wants the strongest military possible, here at home where they belong, not spread out all over the world as “the big dog on the block” and in the business of nation building (“Give Peace A Chance”–John Lennon).

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He wants the crooks in the Federal Reserve booted out. He wants to return our prosperity to America where it belongs. He wants privacy restored with hardcore limits on surveillance on the public through wiretaps, internet spying and drone surveillance.

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How can the pure freedoms that he offers into the hands of Americans (you and me) be wrong in light of Romney’s push for power in the hands of the corporate elite and military industrial complex and in light of Obama’s push for taxpayer money (Obamacare did turn out to be a tax after all…hmmmm) in order to fund him and his elitist cronies and their every bit as lavish lifestyles as Gingrich, Romney, Trump…?

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Paul wants social-care programs for those who cannot work in private hands, not in taxpayer-funded government hands. There are private-donation reliant community programs right now that work fine without government regulation–the Red Cross, Habitat For Humanity, local food banks…

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With all due respect to my oldest and most loyal friend whom I’ve known now for 45 years, you don’t even vote. I’ve participated in caucuses at the precinct level and county level as well as having phoned and emailed members of congress and attended rallies on the steps of the State Capital. You and I in the wisdom of our years both know how the system works by now. We both know that Ron Paul is the only alternative to the “two sides of the same coin” of Obama and Romney.

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You just can’t break away from the partisan tape-reels of Matt Taibbi, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart… that spin through your brain. I wish everyone could just “tear down the walls” of their red and blue boxes that they hide within–and breathe in the fresh air and long view of the reality outside.